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Mike Papatolis opens wine bar in Adelaide’s Glenelg

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Mike Papatolis opens wine bar in Adelaide’s Glenelg

Mike Papatolis has opened a new “established and classy” wine bar on Glenelg, Adelaide, aiming to restore the suburb’s buzzing “heyday”.

According to the advertiser, Ballet Wine Bar offers a seasonal food menu to complement their selection of local and international wines, targeting middle-aged demographic with affordable pricing to ease cost-of-living pressures.

Mike Papatolis expressed concern that Glenelg was losing its appeal, with tourists and locals having “nowhere else to go”.

He noted that visitors often leave for the city after a few nights, resulting in a loss for Glenelg. “We thought bringing something a bit more established and classy down the bay – somewhere you can feel comfortable – would be better for the area,” said Mr.Papatolis.

“We want to be a destination where it’s a wine bar that serves food – we never want to become a restaurant with a good wine list. Wine is still the focus, but if you’re hungry and want some food, it should be on the table pretty quick.”

This opening coincides with Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson’s $40m redevelopment plan for the 1km stretch of Jetty Rd, designed to transform it into a “modern, five-star, safe, and world-class destination.”

However, according to the Advertiser, some locals criticised the council’s decision to borrow $30m to fund the redevelopment and raise rates, including a 2.3 levy over three years – about $40 a year on average for homeowners.

Mr. Papatolis supported the upgrade. “Twenty years ago the street was buzzing and it was great, and then slowly it’s just become a bit grimier and a bit dirtier,” he said. “I think the redevelopment is good – it’s going to brighten the street up, fix the footpath, fix the road and just make people feel more comfortable going out again along here.”

Source: The Advertiser

Five things you didn’t know about the ancient Olympics

The Greek Herald
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Five things you didn’t know about the ancient Olympics

The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896, thanks to the organizational efforts of one Pierre de Coubertin, a French baron who foresaw the value of a multinational sporting competition. “Olympism is not a system,” Coubertin once said. “It is a state of mind.” Ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, smithsonian magazine has presented surprising facts about the famed ancient sporting competition that inspired both Coubertin and later iterations of the Games. Here are five of them.

The Olympic Games weren’t exactly one of a kind.

Olympia wasn’t the only ancient Greek city to host organized athletic competitions. Many communities held their own games, though these varied in prestige. By around 150 B.C.E., about 200 “prize games” regularly took place across Greece, with Athens, Megara, and Boeotia emerging as the most famous venues. The Olympics at Olympia were part of a different class of competitions: the Sacred Games, also known as the Panhellenic Games or the Crown Games.

The Olympic truce is nothing new.

The history of the Olympic truce goes back much further than the 1990s, all the way to the Games’ invention. In the ninth century B.C.E., Iphitos, the ruler of the Greek city of Elis, grew fed up with the region’s never-ending conflicts. Consulting the oracle of Delphi, he was advised to start a peaceful athletic competition. Iphitos and other Greek leaders, including one with whom he was at war, signed a truce known as the Ekecheiria. Contrary to popular belief, this agreement didn’t call for all conflicts in Greece to cease during the Games. Instead, it ensured safe passage for athletes and others traveling to and from Olympia.

The torch relay wasn’t an ancient Olympic event.

Today, the lighting of the Olympic flame is central to the Games’ opening ceremony. A few months before the Games, a fire is lit in Olympia, and the flame is carried from one location to another, culminating in the lighting of a large torch in the Olympic stadium. However, this tradition began in 1936, when the organizers of the Berlin Games arranged for a flame to be lit in Olympia and transported to Berlin. In ancient times, fire was significant at the Olympics, with a constant blaze maintained at the altar of the goddess Hestia and sacred flames lit at the temples of Zeus and Hera.

Not everyone could compete in the ancient Olympics.

Women were explicitly barred from competing in the Games at Olympia, though they could receive accolades as owners of horses that won chariot races. (The Heraean Games, a separate competition specifically for women, emerged as an alternative to the Olympics but wasn’t part of the official festivities.) Technically, any free Greek male citizen could compete in the Games—the first Olympic victor was reportedly a cook named Coroebus—but they needed to have sufficient time and resources to do so. Olympia required every athlete participating in the competition to train for ten months prior to the Games.

The marathon wasn’t an ancient Olympic event.

The 26.2-mile footrace included in today’s Games—and held frequently worldwide—has been part of the modern Olympics since its revival in 1896, with slightly varied lengths over time. However, no such race existed in ancient Olympia. The longest footrace in the ancient Olympics was the dolichos, which might have been up to three miles. The marathon’s origins are mythical, based on the legend of Pheidippides, an ancient Greek courier who ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce a military victory over the Persians, then died immediately after delivering the message.

Source: Smithsonian magazine

ANZAC Remembrance trail on Lemnos island to boost tourism

The Greek Herald
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ANZAC Remembrance trail on Lemnos island to boost tourism

Tourism from Australia to the Greek island of Lemnos is expected to increase after 2025, with the opening of the ANZAC Remembrance Trail in honour of the connection between Australian, New Zealand and Greek soldiers on the island during WWI.

In an interview with AMNA, Vlasis Vlasidis, associate professor at the University of Macedonia, said the trail will encourage a form of ‘memorial tourism.’

“There are many descendants in Australia of people who fought in the wars, who want to make the journey to see where their ancestors fought and pay their respects,” Mr Vlasidis said.

“It is a pilgrimage – they use this word – and this is done as either organised or in combination with tourism.”

Tents of the camp in the foreground and ships in the harbour of Lemnos in 1915. Photo: Australian War Memorial.

The president of the Lemnos hoteliers and presidents of the association “Friends of ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) from Lemnos” Stellios Mantzaris concurred.

“The project that is already ‘running’ and has been financed by the Australian government with $4.9 million, will highlight the relations between Lemnos and Australia, as well as the historical and cultural wealth of the island,” Mantzaris said.

Source: ANE-MPA

Hellenic Land Cadastre becomes first Greek state service to implement AI tools

The Greek Herald
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Hellenic Land Cadastre becomes first Greek state service to implement AI tools

The Hellenic Land Cadastre will become the first Greek state service to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, launching a pilot program from Thursday until September, Deputy Digital Governance Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis announced during an interview with SKAI television, according to ANA reports.

He explained that the open AI application will help to “read in natural language the text of a contract and check in advance the rules that a supervisor would until now need to read for a long time to find.” In this way, he said, the AI tool will help to immediately locate in the text of a contract what must be implemented as a rule and thus greatly reduce the time needed to complete a case.

In addition, acccording to tornosnews, Kyranakis mentioned that the digitization of deeds office archives is underway. Lawyers investigating deeds for their clients in Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus, and 30 other locations can now conduct their searches online via archive.ktimatologio.gr.

He noted that more than 50 million pages had been digitized and that for some months now, 90% of the traffic relating to acts submitted in Athens and Thessaloniki is conducted digitally. This digital transformation not only saves Greek taxpayers time but also shields them from potential bribery and blackmail. Kyranakis urged the public to report any such incidents, even anonymously if necessary.

Source: tornosnews

Jennifer Aniston nominated for an Emmy for ‘The Morning Show’

The Greek Herald
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Jennifer Aniston nominated for an Emmy for ‘The Morning Show’

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, longtime besties, are competing in the same category after being nominated for Emmy Awards for their Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.

According to thenews.com, both of the Hollywood A-list actresses got nominated in “Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series” category for the show.

On the show, Aniston, 55, portrays the character of Alex Levy while Witherspoon, 48, plays the role of Bradley Jackson, reflecting on behind-the-scenes culture of a network broadcasting morning news program.

Photo: KEVIN MAZUR, WIREIMAGE

However, this is not the first time Aniston or Witherspoon have been nominated for Emmys.

Aniston and Witherspoon were nominated in the same category for the same show in 2020 and 2022, with the former winning an Emmy for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series” in 2022 for playing Rachel Green on Friends and the latter winning an Emmy for producing Big Little Lies in 2017.

Source: thenews.com

Athens wins battle against tall buildings

The Greek Herald
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Athens wins battle against tall buildings

Greece’s Council of State (Cos) has put the brakes on new construction licenses for central Athens seeking to exploit the extra square meterage/height bonus granted under the new Building Code.

According to ekathimerini.com, this decision came following a challenge by the municipal authority.

With this verdict – which follows similar rulings for the Athens suburbs of Kifissia and Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni – the country’s constitutional court reverses a decision by the Attica Decentralized Administration, which had given the bonus the green light.

It argues that municipal authorities have the right to prevent buildings that are larger than stipulated by their area’s zoning rules.

More local authorities are expected to follow suit in the coming months.

Source: ekathimerini.com

Greek Community of Melbourne’s Cultural Camp for youth tightens bonds with Greece

The Greek Herald
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Greek Community of Melbourne’s Cultural Camp for youth tightens bonds with Greece

The cultural camp for young Greek Australians is a program aimed at individuals of Greek descent aged 18-25. Its goal is to promote Greek language skills and foster deeper connections between young Australians and Greece.

This highly successful initiative is a collaboration between the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) and the General Secretariat for Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy, being held for the third consecutive year. The program is centred in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece, with plans to expand to Attica.

Twenty-five young people of Greek origin from across Australia are currently in Northern Greece (July 10 to July 20), with an itinerary that includes various activities spanning archaeological, cultural, and recreational sites.

cultural camp greek community of melbourne
The cultural camp for young Greek Australians is a program aimed at individuals of Greek descent aged 18-25.

The Secretary General of Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yannis Chrysoulakis, provided the following statement regarding the program: “The General Secretariat for Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy, in cooperation with the Greek Community of Melbourne – Victoria and YMCA, is implementing a program to host young people from the Melbourne – Victoria community. The previous two years were exceptionally successful and created lasting memories for our young expatriates.”

“This year, 25 young people aged 18-25 are participating in the program, which is funded by the General Secretariat for Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy. The program, taking place from July 10-20 in Thessaloniki, Kavala, Halkidiki, and Xanthi, emphasises the importance of this unique opportunity,” Mr Chrysoulakis added.

Mr Chrysoulakis stressed the philosophy of Greek hospitality, including elements and images of a timeless journey through the history, culture, architecture, and gastronomy of the region.

“The young people of the Australian Diaspora will have a unique opportunity to experience Greece firsthand, exploring the sights and natural beauty of Macedonia and Thrace. Their itinerary includes visits to Vergina and the Polycentric Museum of Aigai, the archaeological site of Pella and Pella Museum, Amphipolis and the Kasta Tomb, and Philippi. They will also tour Thessaloniki, Veroia, Xanthi, and Kavala, and have the opportunity to visit Mount Athos. The General Secretariat for Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy, with support from the Ministry of Culture, has arranged free entrance for young Greeks to archaeological sites and museums.”

cultural camp greek community of melbourne
Mr Chrysoulakis (left) with President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Bill Papastergiadis (right).

The President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), Bill Papastergiadis OAM, said: “We are grateful to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr Chrysoulakis for their commitment to supporting this cultural program for our students.”

“We have firsthand witnessed the joy our students experience through this program. GCM is dedicated to the ongoing implementation and expansion of this program, aiming to include it annually in our curriculum. Students develop an understanding of Greece and themselves that cannot be achieved solely through books. The program complements the excellent educational programs offered by our teachers here in Melbourne,” Mr Papastergiadis added.

Major IT outage affecting banks, media outlets in Australia and globally

The Greek Herald
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Major IT outage affecting banks, media outlets in Australia and globally

A widespread Microsoft outage is affecting Australia’s supermarkets, banks, telecommunications companies and more.

The ABC is experiencing a major network outage, along with several other media outlets.

Crowd-sourced website Downdetector is listing outages for Foxtel, National Australia Bank and Bendigo Bank.

Telco giant Telstra has also confirmed some of its systems are being impacted by the outage.

Payment systems have been impacted around the world with customers unable to use Apple Pay to pay for goods and services. Customers at Coles and Woolworths have reported not being able to tap their cards at terminals. EFTPOS appears to be working at some outlets.

Betting systems have also been suspended including at TAB in Australia.

The ongoing widespread Microsoft outage is reportedly related to US-based cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike. Its ‘Falcon sensor’ is installed on many business computers to gather security data.

microsoft outage
A computer showing a blue screen for the Microsoft outage.

“CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows hosts related to the Falcon sensor,” the company said in a statement on its website.

“Symptoms include hosts experiencing a bugcheck/blue screen error related to the Falcon sensor. Our engineering teams are actively working to resolve this issue and there is no need to open a support ticket.

“Status updates will be posted below as we have more information to share, including when the issue is resolved.”

In a post on X, the National Cyber Security Coordinator Michelle McGuinness said a “large-scale technical outage” is affecting people across Australia, but “there is no information to suggest it is a cyber security incident.”

Outage hits NSW Police, airports

Emergency number 000 is working, but NSW Police systems have gone down, restricting their ability to share information.

A NSW Police spokesperson urged the public to only contact 000 in an emergency. NSW Police will provide an update shortly on what systems have been impacted.

Victoria Police says its triple-zero emergency number and online reporting remain operational.

“We’ll keep you updated if anything changes,” a spokesman said.

Delays have also swept across Sydney’s domestic and international terminals, hitting check ins during the peak Friday travel rush. In Perth, airport check-ins have reportedly been disrupted. Melbourne Airport says it has been affected too.

Virgin Australia says the outage is preventing all planes from coming and going at Sydney Airport.

Australian TV networks hit

The issues have been affecting Australian TV channels, too.

ABC News Channel has not been showing any graphics or footage, and presenters have been forced to read scripts off computers with the teleprompter system down.

Sky News is also now broadcasting with pared-back graphics. When the issue first struck, the network flipped to Fox News broadcasting, and then a recorded loop informing viewers of the outage.

Nine News and Seven News in Sydney are broadcasting as usual now, but Ten News First was forced to cancel its afternoon news bulletin.

Peter Antoniou ruled out of Subway Young Socceroos squad due to injury

The Greek Herald
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Peter Antoniou ruled out of Subway Young Socceroos squad due to injury

Subway Young Socceroos’ Head Coach, Trevor Morgan has been forced to make a change to his 23-player squad to contest the 2024 ASEAN U-19 Boys’ Championship held in Surabaya, Indonesia from 17-29 July.

Peter Antoniou (Melbourne City FC) has been ruled out due to injury on the eve of the tournament and will be replaced by Luke Vickery (Western United FC).

The tournament – formerly known as the AFF Championship – features 12 Members from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Football Federation.

Australia has been drawn in Group B for the tournament, alongside Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam and will play all their Group Stage fixtures out of Gelora 10 November Stadium.

The 2024 edition of the Championship – which is also contested at U-16 level – will be Australia’s ninth appearance, having previously won the tournament on five occasions (2006, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2019).

Australia commenced their campaign against Laos at 3.00pm local/6.00pm AEST on Thursday, 18 July.

Melbourne’s Greek Centre to turn red in honour of 50 years since Cyprus invasion

The Greek Herald
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Melbourne’s Greek Centre to turn red in honour of 50 years since Cyprus invasion

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), in collaboration with ΣΕΚΑ Victoria, the Cyprus Community of Melbourne & Victoria, and the 50th Year Action Group, unite to advocate for a free and united Cyprus.

To honour those who lost their lives and those still missing, the Greek Centre will be illuminated in red, and communities across Victoria will gather to commemorate this tragic anniversary. These acts of remembrance symbolise solidarity with displaced families and a commitment to defending the history, culture, and religion that have been integral to Cyprus for thousands of years.

This solemn anniversary marks a tragic milestone, emphasising the prolonged occupation of more than one-third of the island. The invasion of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey in July 1974 was a violation of international law, leading to widespread displacement and suffering. As these organisations mark this significant date, they have reaffirmed their stance against this injustice and their support for a peaceful resolution.

The enduring impact of the invasion is felt deeply within the Cypriot community, and the organisations stand united in their resolve to remember the victims and support those who continue to seek justice. Remembering these tragic events and coming together as a community is vital.

Furthermore, they have called upon the global community to join them in their advocacy for human rights and the sovereignty of Cyprus. The injustices faced by the Cypriot people must not be forgotten, and the community must collectively strive for a future where Cyprus can exist as a unified and peaceful nation.

ΣEKA Victoria President Pavlos Andronikos said, “Remembering is of the utmost importance, for it makes acquiescence impossible. To want justice, you have to remember the injustice. The Greek building bathed in red light is a symbol of our remembering. We remember all those unjustly killed, the missing, the women violently raped, the refugees who lost not just homes but villages as old as time. Remembering is a call to action, to anger, to protest, to hope.”

Greek centre red cyprus invasion
To honour those who lost their lives and those still missing, the Greek Centre will be illuminated in red.

The Hon. Theo Theophanous, a former Government Minister, and currently President of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria, stated that, “The Cyprus Community of Melbourne has always been a focal point for maintaining Greek and Cypriot culture and language. But for the last 50 of its 92 years of existence it has also been a place of support for refugees, for those who lost loved ones in the Turkish invasion and a voice demanding reunification.”

“After 50 years Cyprus is at a crossroads with a new separationist regime wanting to divide Cyprus permanently, effectively into two countries. This is designed to cause division amongst our communities in Australia that have always supported a unified Cyprus under a federal system. We call on the Australian Government to place pressure on Turkey to reverse this trend and come back to real negotiations for a free democratic, unified Cyprus,” Mr Theophanous added.

The President of the GCM, Bill Papastergiadis OAM, made a statement: “As we illuminate the Greek Centre in red, let it serve as a beacon of hope and a reminder of our unwavering commitment to the cause. Together, we can keep the memory of this tragic event alive and work towards a brighter future for Cyprus. We encourage all members of our community and beyond to participate in our commemorative activities and stand with our Cypriot brothers in solidarity.”

The Cypriot community will gather on Sunday 21st July 2024, at Federation Square at 2:00 pm. There will be a flag-raising ceremony and wreath-laying. This will be followed by speeches from state and federal politicians, and community church leaders.

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